By Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Lotz
31st Fighter Wing
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy, May 22, 2013 – The lieutenant lowered a
tactical vest over his head with practiced confidence. His face
displayed the cool composure born of constant training. As he strapped
on his helmet, an aircraft circled overhead, preparing for the first
strike of the day.
Air
Force 1st Lt. Patrick Bonner radios a Slovenian pilot April 19, 2013,
at a training range in Pocek, Slovenia. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman
1st Class Matthew Lotz (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. |
|
Minutes later, ordnance rained down at the officer's command.
Air Force 1st Lt. Patrick Bonner and his team of tactical air control
party members act as mobile air controllers, coordinating with pilots
and ground commanders to deliver airpower, maintaining communications
and providing precision close-air support, using aircraft and artillery.
On this mission, 8th Air Support Operations Squadron TACPs worked with
Slovenian military counterparts to direct Slovenian aircraft on
specified training targets.
"We train with the Slovenian TACPs
once every couple of months," said Bonner, an air liaison officer who is
part of a select group of commissioned airmen overseeing TACP units.
"On this mission, we conducted 12 airstrikes as a unit to help keep us
proficient in our duties."
The air liaison career field was
created in 2010, and Bonner was one of the first graduates to go through
the nine-month training course.
"I joined the Air Force to
originally pay back my student loans, but I also wanted something
challenging," Bonner said. "At the time, '13L' (the Air Force specialty
code for ALOs) was brand new and exactly the perfect fit for me. There
have been some ups and downs, but I enjoy it and have not regretted my
choice."
Both enlisted members and commissioned officers go
through the same Tactical Air Command and Control Apprentice Course at
the TACP schoolhouse at Hurlburt Field, Fla.
"We both have the
same training, from the same schoolhouse, which in turn allows us to
trust each other to get the mission done," said Air Force Airman 1st
Class Phonchai Hansen, an 8th ASOS TACP member. "I can relate to what
[Bonner] went through, and vice versa."
ALOs are required to
complete six training courses before graduation. They must learn how to
navigate through harsh terrain during all weather conditions, operate
tactical vehicles and communication equipment, provide tactical advice
and coordinate close-air support.
"The fail rate for our career
field is very high," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua Cullins, an 8th
ASOS TACP member. "It's hard enough to become a TACP, but to then become
an ALO is even more difficult."
Even after graduating, ALOs must
continue their training to ensure they are prepared for the varied
situations that can present themselves during a deployed mission, to
include joint terminal attack controller certifications and survival,
evasion, resistance and escape training.
"The most difficult part
of the training is the mindset of it all," Bonner said. "It's very
difficult to learn, because there are so many moving pieces. You have to
be able to think and act, all within seconds.
"You have to
continue pushing yourself," he continued. "Depending on how great of a
TACP you want to be is how hard one challenges himself."
TACP members constantly try to improve their skills, which helps them be prepared for any situation, including deployments.
Bonner's role in a deployment is quite different from what his enlisted troops find themselves doing on a day-to-day basis.
"My focus during a deployment is liaising with the Army and giving them
a grasp on how to best use aircraft in terms of the air-to-ground
fight," he said. "Occasionally, I get to go out with my unit and
implement airstrikes."
While deployments can be rough at times,
most TACP members agree the best part about the job is calling in
airstrikes and watching ordnance drop a few hundred yards away.
"When everything clicks, it's a blast," Bonner said.